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I am getting a 2025 Ioniq 5. I already have in my garage a 14-50p plug with 50 amp circuit. I think I will need a 35 foot or longer charger cable.

Here are my questions.

  1. If I don't want to mess with adapters on and off every time, I think I need a long charger with an NACS end. Is that right, or do you just put an adapter on once and leave it on for all time?

  2. What is the cable management system requirement exactly requirement for > 25'? Can I just buy some kind of spring balance and hang it from the ceiling, or do I need something more official?

isherwood
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curious
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2 Answers2

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There are two related issues here:

14-50

This is simply the wrong way to connect a charger (technically: EVSE). It is far better to hardwire the EVSE. Some (e.g., Tesla) can only be connected hardwired. Some others are available hardwired or plug-in. But with some rare exceptions, hardwired is better. Which means:

  • Install hardwired EVSE next to the existing 14-50 receptacle.
  • Remove the receptacle and use it as a junction box to the wires to the EVSE.

The only time this doesn't make sense is if you also use that 14-50 for other things, such as a welder. But short of that, just hardwire and you are much better off. If your 14-50 is wired to a GFCI breaker, you can then replace the GFCI breaker with an ordinary breaker as EVSE includes GFCI capabilities that satisfy code and work better.

Distance

I find it hard to believe, but not impossible, that there isn't a much closer location to your car's charging port that you can use for your EVSE. So run conduit/wires or cable (specifics will vary depending on a number of factors, but typically 8 AWG wire inside PVC 80 or rigid metal conduit or 6 AWG cable with protection from damage) from the existing receptacle (but remove the receptacle and just the box as a junction box) to a better location. Install the EVSE hardwired at the new location.

manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
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Code prohibits total cable length for EV charging equipment longer than 25 feet total (for plug-in units, sum of wall cord and EV cord). The correct solution is to relocate the hardwired wall unit or socket so that it is closer to where the car will be parking.

The only exception is when the EV charging station has integral cable management and the whole assembly (station, pedestal and cable manager) has been approved by UL.

The original 14-50 socket location can be used as a splice block to a wire extension. A 14-50 socket could be used - it's rather important it be the high quality $50+ Hubbell, Bryant or other EV grade socket - the el-cheapo under-$30 range outlets tend to melt under 32A EV load. (which is pretty shameful considering they are 50A sockets). This is NOT a Leviton-only problem, Leviton's installed base is larger. Also, relocating the socket will activate your current NEC's rules on GFCI protection of the socket. It might have been grandfathered before.

However, we recommend hard-wiring and consider a plug-and-socket to be a less desirable solution - it introduces failure points, the socket is costly, the GFCI is costly, the useless neutral is costly. Travel charge cords are cheaper than wall units, but not by enough to justify the above.

Further, wall units are capable of a number of electrical provisioning tricks. Don't have panel capacity? Dynamic load management. Solar on non-net-metering? Solar Capture to precisely slurp up solar export. 2 EVs 1 circuit? Automatically share to use the circuit most efficiently.

As far as brands of NACS wall unit, I hardly need to tell you about That Company... Emporia has a NACS native wall unit that is very reasonably priced, and is capable of dynamic load management and Solar Capture when paired with the Emporia VUE. Wallbox Pulsar is my favorite, though they don't offer native NACS yet.

There is something to be said for staying J1772. NACS car to J1772 station adapters are very reliable and very cheap, because they are made by That Company. Whereas J1772 car to NACS station adapters are both costly and a little bit shady, made by companies known for little else such as TeslaTap, or just the usual random letter Chinese sellers on the Wish/Temu and the other junk sites. However as OEMs transition to NACS, they are offering J1772-NACS adapters of presumably better repute.

NOT to be confused with CCS to NACS adapters, which are much larger. (bigger than your fist = not for level 2).

Harper - Reinstate Monica
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